British Military Oficer Reveals New Facts About Anti-semitism of British Palestine Officials

An anonymous Anglo-Jewish military officer, who up to 1922 was in the Palestine Government service, reveals some hitherto unknown facts about the anti-Semitic attitude displayed by numerous British officials who have helped govern Palestine during the past decade. His article appears in “Die Neue Welt,” Berlin weekly organ of the German Radical-Zionists, in its issue of November 22nd.

“In all departments of the Palestinian government,” he writes, “one can find officials who have made it their special business to sabotage every Jewish effort and to destroy every Jewish accomplishment in the country. As secretary to the Governor of Jerusalem, Mr. Richmond saw to it that all the good purposes of the government should come to naught. He was forced to leave his post. But influential friends brought him back to Palestine, where he now directs the Government Archaeological Department, using this position to destroy all the places the Jew holds sacred. It may soon come to pass that not a trace will be left of any town of historic Jewish interest in Palestine. And in this ‘laudable’ work he is being given every aid by Edward Keith-Roach, the present Governor of Jerusalem, who by acceding to the demands of the Grand Mufti with regard to the Wailing Wall, is responsible for subsequent events.

“A Mr. Ashby directs the bureau which is supposed to further improvements and progress in the city of Jerusalem. Nevertheless, Jews who have money to invest in civic improvement are hindered, instead of helped, by Mr. Ashby. Several rich Bokharan Jews were ready to invest a hundred thousand pounds for industrial purposes in Jerusalem. They brought their plans to the government. Mr. Ashby, who as expert sat in on the conferences, interposed continual objections. Finally, when all his objections were proven to be unreasonable, he as a last resort exclaimed: ‘We don’t need those Jews in Jerusalem!’ The proposals of the Bokharan Jews came to naught. Had the government given its approval, many more Jewish garden suburbs like Talpioth would already have been established. But this was and is impossible as long as Messrs. Ashby, Keith-Roach and Richmond will not allow the tearing down of the dilapidated, disease-breeding Arab shacks.

MISS NEWTON FINANCES ARABS

“It is a remarkable thing that no official who was friendly to the Jews could remain permanently in Palestine. The late General Clayton, Colonel Symes, honest, firm Lord Plumer-they all had to leave and make room for a Luke and a Mills. The anti-Zionist cabal has its headquarters on Mount Carmel, in the villa of a certain Miss Newton. This lady, a first-class Jew-hater, is an intimate in British court circles. She is protectress and financier to corrupt Arab sheiks. She accompanied the Arab delegation to Geneva and there rendered it every possible aid in the way of valuable connections. Her villa is the gathering-place of all the anti-Zionist officials.

“The Immigration Department not only frightens and bullies the Jewish immigrant, but even annoys the Jewish tourist in an unheard-of fashion. But the Transjordanian frontier stands free for any Bedouin, Druse and Syrian to enter there and smuggle arms. The garrison-town Sarafend, which stood here, has long ago been given up; even the barracks, which were erected with money from Jewish taxes, have been demolished, as if to show the Arabs that they have no one to fear in case of an uprising.

ARABS TEACH HATE

“The Department of Education supports Arabic schools where children are taught from text-books that reek anti-Jewishness. The teachers, who are imported from Syria, tell the children that the Jews are unlawful invaders of Palestine, that there is no historic connection between the Jews and Palestine. The pupils are also told that the Jews are the scum of humanity, that they have come to the country to expel the Arabs. Is it any wonder that Arab school-children have made it a habit to throw stones at Jewish passers-by on the way to the Mount of Olives while their teachers look on? These teachers it was who distributed the notorious ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion’ throughout the country.

“Colonel Heron is the chief of the Health Department. His rule is not to employ any Jewish doctor, although it is a fact that all of the doctors of Palestine who have received a European training and who have any sound knowledge of medicine whatsoever, are Jews. He turns a deaf ear to any proposal that might improve the health of the Jewish population. It was his influence that led to the government’s refusal of all Zionist proposals for fighting typhus and malaria. Thus the Zionists, at great sacrifice of men and money had to carry on the fight against disease without government aid. But often even these sacrifices were of no avail when Col. Heron would refuse to do anything to clean up an Arabic village that bordered on a Jewish colony, which would catch the epidemic from its neighbor. Even when Jewish and German colonists once offered to dry up swamps in the vicinity of the Audja river at their own expense, their communication and offer to Mr. Heron remained unanswered.

“The Department of Taxes, Commerce and Industry, conducted by Mr. Stead; allows religious and philanthropic organizations to import goods for their own use tax-free. But the one Jewish synagogue in Mikweh Israel must pay taxes. Building materials for synagogues are taxed. One may, it is true, apply for a return of the tax, but it never is returned. All attempts by Jewish manufacturers to get a reduction of taxes on raw materials have been in vain. Mr. Stead, too, has been known to say: ‘We don’t need those Jews.’ The big Arab landowners who allow their land to lie fallow, pay small pre-war taxes, but Jewish industry and Jewish commerce is taxed heavily, because Jews are regarded as enemies, as invaders.

“Thus a group of refined, anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic officials has created the legend that the economic condition of the country canot endure the Jewish immigration.”